Hey, Chris. I'll be laying up for the winter soon and have plans to look the 300's head and valves over pretty closely. Gonna do a compression and leakdown test also before winterization. I'll post all the reults including specific clearances for each valve. We are in the 95 hour range now if memory serves. Would like to get in a couple more rides...

PS: I would need a lot of faith in my dealer and his mechs before I let them do a valve adjustment... I can forsee a lot of "close enough's" and "it'll be fine's" there...

88 hrs. on the clock, thinking of having the valves adjusted and the sc belt replaced so im good to go for the start of next season. anybody done their valves ? were they out of whack. ?

Chris, if you haven't been riding at "top RPM" for most of those 88 you are probably fine as far as Valves go. Yes, I would replace the SC Belt come Spring, clean the Intercooler, replace the Exhaust Filter (just my opinion), and I would get as much water out of the WB as possible. Better yet, it may not be the most popular choice here but I think it would still be a good decision to disconnect the "elbow" between the Pipe and the Waterbox . . . I think the Spark Plugs and Valves would enjoy the fresh air. JB

Cleaning of the IC during our long off season is a no brainer. I always remove my IC's for winter, lube both sides liberally with CRC and store them in a temperature controlled environment (the basement). I believe that this removes the condensation factor from the equation, of couse if you store your skis in climate control... I would prolly still take mine out, clean it, and lube it up real good on both sides to eliminate the possibility of any corrosion.

Pretty obvious that all 300's are not ridden, maintained, puke the same out the VC, or run the same setups as all others, therefore it is not possible for all IC's to adhere to the same cleaning schedule- I have seen that first hand.

I also agree with JB here... Maybe it's anal, but my 300 doesn't go to bed for the winter with the exhaust assembled. I remove the waterbox.

If you have cleaned the intercooler once already (around the 30 or 40 hour mark) you don't need to do it again (I'm even leaning toward 150 hours now as I don't see any signs of fouling at all).

JB are you suggesting a belt change based on the 250/260 or do you know something about the 300?

Yes, I do know a thing or two (or three!) about the 300. I would change the Belt at 100 hours. It is a relatively cheap part. And given the fact that the Ski will not run more than 5 mph without it; I look at it as "cheap insurance" to replace it. If it has gone 100 hours, it has done its job well. JB

Cleaning of the IC during our long off season is a no brainer. I always remove my IC's for winter, lube both sides liberally with CRC and store them in a temperature controlled environment (the basement). I believe that this removes the condensation factor from the equation, of couse if you store your skis in climate control... I would prolly still take mine out, clean it, and lube it up real good on both sides to eliminate the possibility of any corrosion.

Pretty obvious that all 300's are not ridden, maintained, puke the same out the VC, or run the same setups as all others, therefore it is not possible for all IC's to adhere to the same cleaning schedule- I have seen that first hand.

I also agree with JB here... Maybe it's anal, but my 300 doesn't go to bed for the winter with the exhaust assembled. I remove the waterbox.

Same with my spark plugs, they stay out for the big sleep.

You seem to have a good running 300 Vic from what I have read here; and I think that can be attributed to your attention to detail. If you remove the conduit for moisture transmission; then by definition there can be no moisture transferred to any part of the engine. It's only 4 bolts and a Hose Clamp to do this; and I think it is a good idea. JB

If you remove the conduit for moisture transmission; then by definition there can be no moisture transferred to any part of the engine. It's only 4 bolts and a Hose Clamp to do this; and I think it is a good idea. JB

Correct! Very little effort= a cheap price to pay for a little peace of mind. + clearing out the hull some gives one the opportunity to really give things a good looking over and familiarize the owner with the way the ski is put together and what makes it tick...

A little extra energy spent will allow you to catch many problems early on and hopefully avoid further complications and headache.

Early on I caught a broken SC mount on my 300 by doing just this- saved me lots of trouble by minimizing damage and dealing with the repair during the off season.

+ it's a long winter here in the NE US... what better way to pass it then by drinking beer and taking your ski apart?